Libya rebels advance west of Tripoli

Somalia’s governance crisis

NEXT August 13, 2011 12:44PM

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Mention ‘Somalia’ and what comes to mind is the worst form of anarchy – in its most literal sense. For two decades, the country has been without a central government; carved up instead into fiefdoms by militant groups with tribal and religious allegiances.

The Transitional Federal Government controls only a small portion of the country. Off the coast, pirates run the show, largely unchallenged.

Now add to that depressing scenario, a famine, consequence of a drought described as the worst to hit the Horn of Africa in several decades. Somalia is not the only country hit, but, unlike Kenya and Ethiopia, its capacity to respond has been significantly limited by the absence of a functioning central government and the bans placed by the Al-Shabaab militant group on the activities of a number of international aid organisations.

The death toll in Somalia is already estimated at tens of thousands, and close to a million refugees have fled into neighbouring countries.

Analysts and aid personnel say the drought did not hit the region by surprise. It has turned out to be this disastrous because of the absence of a government. There are no institutions and structures to carry out the stockpiling of food and the coordination of the emergency response required as a bulwark against famine.

Somalia cannot continue to linger in the status quo, abandoned to the mercy of marauding gangs. The African Union has a responsibility to intervene, and ensure the restoration of a functioning central government to the country. Neither humanitarian agencies nor peacekeeping units, and certainly not militant groups, can be depended upon to guarantee security and stability in any country.

While it is important to fight this horrific famine with urgency and unprecedented generosity, the international community ought to also focus on the underlying issues of governance and political stability. It is time to kick Somalia off its comfortable top place – for the fourth year running – on the annual Failed States Index.